Topic: The Red Hunting Cap • How does the symbol/motif come up in the novel, and how does it impact what is going on? What happens immediately preceding or immediately following a mention or discussion of this idea or thing? The red hunting cap comes up in the novel when Holden needs help or when he is in a difficult situation. One of the things that the red hunting cap represent is Allie. Like the cap, Allie's hair is also bright red. When he wears the cap in a difficult situation, the cap makes him feel less lonely and gives him something to rely on. For example, when Holden first buys the hat, he was in a difficult situation. He bought the hat in New York after he had lost all of the fencing equipments of his team. After this symbol appears, Holden forgets about the situation that he was in and moves on. This happens because the red hunting cap makes him feel better. • What is the mood when this idea or thing is brought up? Would you associate this with times when Holden is content? frightened? frantic? confused? Is this mood consistent with every incidence of this motif? The mood of Holden is frightened and confused when his red hunting cap is brought up. This mood is consistent with every incidence. For example, Holden wears the red hunting cap after talking to his history teacher about him dropping out of school. Even though Holden acts like he does not care about what's happening to him, his conversation with his history teacher probably made him worried and afraid that his parents are going to get mad at him. • Is Holden alone when this motif/symbol occurs? If not, with whom is he interacting? How would you characterize that interaction? Does this motif occur both when he is alone and when he is with other people? Is there a connection to be made? Holden is usually alone when the red hunting cap is brought up. After experiencing a difficult situation, he wears his red hunting cap in a place where he is around people that does not know him or alone so that he could get the thought of his situation out of his head and to move on with his life. For example, after his conversation with his history teacher, he goes back to his dorm and reads a book while wearing his red hunting cap. • What does this motif/symbol tell you about Holden, in a “big picture” way - Does this suggest anything about his personality? His weaknesses or strengths? His sense of himself?Holden's red hunting cap in "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, tells us, the reader, in a "big picture" way, that Holden does not have too much self confidence, and feels lonely almost all the time. For the majority of the novel, Holden can't find a simple person to start a simple conversation with, and eventually gets to speaking to random people that he barely knows, just for their company. The red hunting cap symbolizes his feelings whenever he's in a tough situation, such as the one where he lost all the team's fencing equipment, or when he's walking through the streets of N.Y. thinking he's going to die. He wore the hunting cap, and kept saying "Allie, please don't let me die, please, please, please." • Tie it all together: Did any pattern emerge? Pick out other words or ideas used in conjunction with this motif. Look back on your investigation and come up with a single sentence that sums up what you’ve discovered.A certain, well-noticed pattern did indeed occur multiple times throught the story involving Holden and the red hunting cap. For example, Holden always wore the red hunting cap in difficult situations where it seemed like he just wanted to "disappear". There is, however, a type of contradiction going on, since the hunting cap is red, it's far from "unnoticeable". And another pattern emerges, his brother, Allie. His brother Allie, as Holden explains, had the reddest, brightest hair ever, and Holden could see his bright red hair from across a golf course. This symbolizes the importance of Allie's presence in the story, even though Allie is dead, Holden still falls back on him at the most crucial of moments.
Outline
Essay outline format
Directions: Use the format below to create the outline for your Catcher essay. Each component of the outline should be completed in FULL sentences. Your supporting details should be specific and properly cited in MLA format (keep in mind, you cite quotes, paraphrases and summaries)
I. Introduction
a. Hook (Briefly address your topic) - The red hunting cap symbolizes more than Holden acknowledges.
b. Thesis – How the red hunting cap affects Holden in the book.
i. Avenue one (Main reason 1) – Red hunting cap in relation to Allie.
ii. Avenue two (Main reason 2) – The red hunting cap helps Holden to persevere through difficult situations.
iii. Avenue three (Main reason 3) - The red hunting cap provides a wall of mental fortitude to Holden.
II. Body One (Avenue one/Main reason 1) linked with THESIS STATEMENT
a. "He was sitting there, about a hundred and fifty yards behind me, watching me tee off. That's the kind of red hair he had." (Salinger 38)
i. This quote shows that Allie's hair was so bright, just like his red hunting cap, Holden could see him from very far away. This proves that Allie and the red hunting hat are intertwined.
b. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie." And then when
I'd reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I'd thank him. (Salinger 198).
i. Allie is an important symbol of the red hunting hat because not only the hat is similar to the color of Allie's hair, Holden also relies on Allie a lot.
c. "After he left, I put on my pajamas and bathrobe and my old hunting hat, and started writing the composition. " (Salinger 21)
i. Allie appears quite frequently throughout the entire story, and Holden holds on so dearly to that hat since it reminds him of his beloved brother. He put on the "old hunting hat" while he was writing the composition for Stradlater, about the poems on his brother's baseball mitt, confirming this statement.
III. Body Two (Avenue one/Main reason 2) linked with THESIS STATEMENT
a. "The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back-very corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way. Then I got this book and sat down on my chair. " (Salinger 18)
i. His conversation with his history teacher about dropping out of Pencey made him angry and anxious that he has to deal with his parents about his situation in Pencey. He wears the red hunting hat when he comes back to his dorm to overlook and ignore this situation in his mind.
b. "Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you."(Salinger 121)
i. This is another difficult situation that Holden faced in the book. He wishes the world could stay unchanged so that he doesn’t have to go through all the difficult he might experience later in the future of his life. His wish of the world to stay the same and everlasting comes from the experience from the death of his brother. After this incident in the book, Holden again wears his red hunting hat.
c. "The reason I saw her, she had my crazy hunting hat on-you could see that hat about ten miles away. I went out the doors and started down these stone stairs to meet her. The thing I couldn't understand, she had this big suitcase with her." (Salinger 205)
i. Holden's decision of running away is one of the difficult situations that he had to face. When he saw his sister walk with his red hunting cap and his suitcase, Holden decides not to run away because he felt that his sister was following his footsteps.
IV. Body Three (Avenue one/Main reason 3) linked with THESIS STATEMENT
a. "Anyway, I was sitting on the washbowl next to where Stradlater was shaving, sort of turning the water on and off. I still had my red hunting hat on, with the peak around to the back and all. I really got a bang out of that hat. "(Salinger 15)
i. Holden seems to have a lot more confidence with the red hunting hat on, rather than with his red hunting cap off. This symbolizes Holden's security within the hat itself, it replicates the reassurance he feels whenever he's wearing the hat.
b. "I pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden, for a change. I was getting sort of nervous, all of a sudden. I'm quite a nervous guy. 'Listen, where ya going on your date with her?' I asked him. 'Ya know yet?''"(Salinger 19)
i. Whenever Holden's security is threatened, he feels the need to have some sort of protection, or barrier, from the problem. In this situation, Holden was quite nervous that Stradlater went out with his crush, Jane Gallagher, and the fact that he mentioned he pulled the hat around to the front, symbolizes his nervousness reacting with the symbolic red hunting hat.
c. “Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean-except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. “ (Salinger 173)
i. The red hunting hat also describes Holden as a hunter. In this quote, Holden states that he wants to hunt little kids from being hurt by facing reality as they mature.
V. Conclusion
a. How the red hunting cap affects Holden in the book.
i. Red hunting cap in relation to Allie.
1. This main reason shows the implication of the red hunting hat in relation to Allie.
ii. The red hunting cap helps Holden to persevere through difficult situations.
1. This shows when he used the red hunting cap to make him feel better and get over the difficult things that he was facing.
iii. The red hunting cap provides a wall of mental fortitude to Holden.
1. The red hunting cap does give Holden a sense of confidence, and a sense of protection.
iv. The red hunting hat symbolizes many things throughout the entire novel, such as Holden's confidence, Holden's protection, and Holden's brother Allie.
Topic: The Red Hunting Cap
• How does the symbol/motif come up in the novel, and how does it impact what is going on? What happens immediately preceding or immediately following a mention or discussion of this idea or thing? The red hunting cap comes up in the novel when Holden needs help or when he is in a difficult situation. One of the things that the red hunting cap represent is Allie. Like the cap, Allie's hair is also bright red. When he wears the cap in a difficult situation, the cap makes him feel less lonely and gives him something to rely on. For example, when Holden first buys the hat, he was in a difficult situation. He bought the hat in New York after he had lost all of the fencing equipments of his team. After this symbol appears, Holden forgets about the situation that he was in and moves on. This happens because the red hunting cap makes him feel better.
• What is the mood when this idea or thing is brought up? Would you associate this with times when Holden is content? frightened? frantic? confused? Is this mood consistent with every incidence of this motif? The mood of Holden is frightened and confused when his red hunting cap is brought up. This mood is consistent with every incidence. For example, Holden wears the red hunting cap after talking to his history teacher about him dropping out of school. Even though Holden acts like he does not care about what's happening to him, his conversation with his history teacher probably made him worried and afraid that his parents are going to get mad at him.
• Is Holden alone when this motif/symbol occurs? If not, with whom is he interacting? How would you characterize that interaction? Does this motif occur both when he is alone and when he is with other people? Is there a connection to be made? Holden is usually alone when the red hunting cap is brought up. After experiencing a difficult situation, he wears his red hunting cap in a place where he is around people that does not know him or alone so that he could get the thought of his situation out of his head and to move on with his life. For example, after his conversation with his history teacher, he goes back to his dorm and reads a book while wearing his red hunting cap.
• What does this motif/symbol tell you about Holden, in a “big picture” way - Does this suggest anything about his personality? His weaknesses or strengths? His sense of himself?Holden's red hunting cap in "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, tells us, the reader, in a "big picture" way, that Holden does not have too much self confidence, and feels lonely almost all the time. For the majority of the novel, Holden can't find a simple person to start a simple conversation with, and eventually gets to speaking to random people that he barely knows, just for their company. The red hunting cap symbolizes his feelings whenever he's in a tough situation, such as the one where he lost all the team's fencing equipment, or when he's walking through the streets of N.Y. thinking he's going to die. He wore the hunting cap, and kept saying "Allie, please don't let me die, please, please, please."
• Tie it all together: Did any pattern emerge? Pick out other words or ideas used in conjunction with this motif. Look back on your investigation and come up with a single sentence that sums up what you’ve discovered.A certain, well-noticed pattern did indeed occur multiple times throught the story involving Holden and the red hunting cap. For example, Holden always wore the red hunting cap in difficult situations where it seemed like he just wanted to "disappear". There is, however, a type of contradiction going on, since the hunting cap is red, it's far from "unnoticeable". And another pattern emerges, his brother, Allie. His brother Allie, as Holden explains, had the reddest, brightest hair ever, and Holden could see his bright red hair from across a golf course. This symbolizes the importance of Allie's presence in the story, even though Allie is dead, Holden still falls back on him at the most crucial of moments.
Outline
Essay outline format
Directions: Use the format below to create the outline for your Catcher essay. Each component of the outline should be completed in FULL sentences. Your supporting details should be specific and properly cited in MLA format (keep in mind, you cite quotes, paraphrases and summaries)
I. Introduction
a. Hook (Briefly address your topic) - The red hunting cap symbolizes more than Holden acknowledges.
b. Thesis – How the red hunting cap affects Holden in the book.
i. Avenue one (Main reason 1) – Red hunting cap in relation to Allie.
ii. Avenue two (Main reason 2) – The red hunting cap helps Holden to persevere through difficult situations.
iii. Avenue three (Main reason 3) - The red hunting cap provides a wall of mental fortitude to Holden.
II. Body One (Avenue one/Main reason 1) linked with THESIS STATEMENT
a. "He was sitting there, about a hundred and fifty yards behind me, watching me tee off. That's the kind of red hair he had." (Salinger 38)
i. This quote shows that Allie's hair was so bright, just like his red hunting cap, Holden could see him from very far away. This proves that Allie and the red hunting hat are intertwined.
b. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Allie, don't let me disappear. Please, Allie." And then when
I'd reach the other side of the street without disappearing, I'd thank him. (Salinger 198).
i. Allie is an important symbol of the red hunting hat because not only the hat is similar to the color of Allie's hair, Holden also relies on Allie a lot.
c. "After he left, I put on my pajamas and bathrobe and my old hunting hat, and started writing the composition. " (Salinger 21)
i. Allie appears quite frequently throughout the entire story, and Holden holds on so dearly to that hat since it reminds him of his beloved brother. He put on the "old hunting hat" while he was writing the composition for Stradlater, about the poems on his brother's baseball mitt, confirming this statement.
III. Body Two (Avenue one/Main reason 2) linked with THESIS STATEMENT
a. "The way I wore it, I swung the old peak way around to the back-very corny, I'll admit, but I liked it that way. I looked good in it that way. Then I got this book and sat down on my chair. " (Salinger 18)
i. His conversation with his history teacher about dropping out of Pencey made him angry and anxious that he has to deal with his parents about his situation in Pencey. He wears the red hunting hat when he comes back to his dorm to overlook and ignore this situation in his mind.
b. "Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you."(Salinger 121)
i. This is another difficult situation that Holden faced in the book. He wishes the world could stay unchanged so that he doesn’t have to go through all the difficult he might experience later in the future of his life. His wish of the world to stay the same and everlasting comes from the experience from the death of his brother. After this incident in the book, Holden again wears his red hunting hat.
c. "The reason I saw her, she had my crazy hunting hat on-you could see that hat about ten miles away. I went out the doors and started down these stone stairs to meet her. The thing I couldn't understand, she had this big suitcase with her." (Salinger 205)
i. Holden's decision of running away is one of the difficult situations that he had to face. When he saw his sister walk with his red hunting cap and his suitcase, Holden decides not to run away because he felt that his sister was following his footsteps.
IV. Body Three (Avenue one/Main reason 3) linked with THESIS STATEMENT
a. "Anyway, I was sitting on the washbowl next to where Stradlater was shaving, sort of turning the water on and off. I still had my red hunting hat on, with the peak around to the back and all. I really got a bang out of that hat. "(Salinger 15)
i. Holden seems to have a lot more confidence with the red hunting hat on, rather than with his red hunting cap off. This symbolizes Holden's security within the hat itself, it replicates the reassurance he feels whenever he's wearing the hat.
b. "I pulled the peak of my hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden, for a change. I was getting sort of nervous, all of a sudden. I'm quite a nervous guy. 'Listen, where ya going on your date with her?' I asked him. 'Ya know yet?''"(Salinger 19)
i. Whenever Holden's security is threatened, he feels the need to have some sort of protection, or barrier, from the problem. In this situation, Holden was quite nervous that Stradlater went out with his crush, Jane Gallagher, and the fact that he mentioned he pulled the hat around to the front, symbolizes his nervousness reacting with the symbolic red hunting hat.
c. “Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean-except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. “ (Salinger 173)
i. The red hunting hat also describes Holden as a hunter. In this quote, Holden states that he wants to hunt little kids from being hurt by facing reality as they mature.
V. Conclusion
a. How the red hunting cap affects Holden in the book.
i. Red hunting cap in relation to Allie.
1. This main reason shows the implication of the red hunting hat in relation to Allie.
ii. The red hunting cap helps Holden to persevere through difficult situations.
1. This shows when he used the red hunting cap to make him feel better and get over the difficult things that he was facing.
iii. The red hunting cap provides a wall of mental fortitude to Holden.
1. The red hunting cap does give Holden a sense of confidence, and a sense of protection.
iv. The red hunting hat symbolizes many things throughout the entire novel, such as Holden's confidence, Holden's protection, and Holden's brother Allie.
Rough Draft
Final Draft